A Community Land Trust
Community-based ownership of land for housing
What is a Community Land Trust?
A CLT is a non-profit corporation that owns land on behalf of a community of residents. It promotes housing affordability—through home ownership and/or rentals-- and sustainable development, ensuring that the land and housing it stewards stay permanently affordable.
Eastern Catskills CLT is one of 350 CLTs across the country. It was formed as a charitable 501©(3) charitable organization in 2022 by a group of long-time locals concerned with the disappearance of housing for low and middle-income residents.
Social Sustainability
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Social Responsibility
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Economic Sustainability
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Economical Viability
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Social Sustainability • Social Responsibility • Economic Sustainability • Economical Viability •
What is the Eastern Catskills CLT?
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A community-led housing program to create and steward affordable housing in the Woodstock area
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A non-profit 501(c)3 corporation and organized as a Community Land Trust (“CLT”)
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An organization with the mission to acquire land and homes in order to develop and manage affordable rental and home ownership alternatives for community members
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We formed in 2022 and modeled ourselves after several successful CLTs across the United States
OUR APPROACH
Eastern Catskills CLT is an independent Community Land Trust (CLT), with a mission to create and preserve permanent rentals and for-purchase homes for our middle to low-income residents.
Eastern Catskills CLT’s local board of directors will collaborate with Town officials and business and community leaders to create housing opportunities for year-round Woodstock residents.
Eastern Catskills CLT, seeks to preserve community affordability by removing land from the private market, owning and holding it through 99-year ground leases and preemptive purchase requirements. These limit the resale value of the structures on the land. Taxes on the buildings would be paid.
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Eastern Catskills CLT joins a lengthy and successful history of CLTs throughout the United States, as well as world-wide, that exist in a variety of community types: urban, rural, and sub-urban. In many communities, these entities are known as land trusts, however, Woodstock already has a highly successful land trust, the Woodstock Land Conservancy (WLC). WLC’s mandate is the conservation of open space and wilderness lands and waterways.
Eastern Catskills CLT Board
We are long-term residents, assembling a board of people who are committed to providing new opportunities to low and moderate-income families, workers and seniors who want to live in Woodstock but find themselves daunted by home prices. Together with our Advisory Board of experts, we are working on housing options which are modest, environmentally sustainable, attractive and will remain affordable for generations.
Susan Manuel
Secretary
Bio
President
Bio
Kirk Ritchey
Judith Kerman
Treasurer
Bio
Take Action
As in much of the region, housing prices in Woodstock have escalated in recent years, challenging the ability of families, businesses and the arts community to thrive here and maintain the town's historic character. Eastern Catskills CLT is dedicated to creating some better options for those who find themselves housing-challenged. We need gifts of skills, money and land to launch small housing projects.
Be a part of the solution by taking action to support the Eastern Catskills CLT mission.
Questions? Contact us
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Gifts of Real Estate:
Discounted property sales or donations to Eastern Catskills CLT can provide important tax benefits to property owners faced with significant estate or capital gains taxes. Gifts of real estate may include developed property, undeveloped property, or property subject to a prior life interest.
All gifts of real estate must be approved by the ECCLT Board of Directors and may be subject to legal review, assessment of ability to obtain permits for development, environmental review, title review and insurance, independent appraisal and other relevant factors. ECCLT may ask the Donor to incur some or all of the costs associated with the donation of the property. ECCLT will have discretion to determine whether it will develop or resell the property.
Planned Giving:
Many ECCLT donors want to make a greater effort to support us, but are not in a position to do so right now. A gift by will or living trust means that you have all of your assets available for any needs that might arise. A bequest means that you make the gift when you no longer need to have the funds available.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss bequests further, please contact Kirk Ritchey.
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There are many ways your time and talents can be put to good use in advancing the cause of affordable housing. Please contact us if you are interested in helping with an event or becoming a member of one of our committees.
We also welcome the expertise in our community and invite you to reach out if you’d like to volunteer your legal services or professional skills in areas of design, building and landscaping. Please contact us
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Eastern Catskills CLT plans to initiate a small housing project in the coming months, pending the acquisition of a piece of land. Any housing built will be permanently affordable to those residents selected and their successors.
Checks can be mailed to:
Eastern Catskills CLT
PO Box 1038 Woodstock, NY 12498Multi-year pledges help ECCLT expand permanently affordable, energy-efficient rental and ownership housing for working Woodstockers and their families. By joining one of our circles, you’re helping to build a more resilient community.
Contact Kirk at to make arrangements for multi-year contributions.
